Despite trailing by a 6-0 margin entering the sixth inning, the Battlefield baseball team actually found itself in position to at least tie Osbourn in the Cedar Run District tournament championship game by the time the last out was called in the seventh.

The Eagles starting pitcher Matt Wright had simply been brilliant throughout the whole night leading into the seventh, giving up no runs and only three hits through the first five innings while Osbourn built its six runs on 12 hits and a Battlefield error.

In the sixth, starting pitcher Nate Abel lined a sharp ground to the Eagles' first baseman that proved to be too hot to handle, putting himself at first and advancing Steven Ruszkowski to third base.

Abel darted to second with batter Zach Harris down 0-1 in the count, drawing a throw from the Osbourn catcher. After the ball hopped in front of second base and bounced toward first, Ruszkowski fled home for the Bobcats' first run of the game.

The nimble base-running proved necessary as Wright earned three quick outs to send the game into the seventh with Osbourn nursing a five-run lead.

"I think they were able to get on top a little bit early in the count where we kind of pitched behind at times," said manager Jay Burkhart.

Relief pitcher Matt Honkus worked his way out of a jam for Battlefield after loading the bases with one out in the top half of the inning. He caught a pop fly near the first base line and forced a fielder's choice ground out to give Battlefield one more chance to put runs on the board.

With one out, Derek Evans walked and Wright left the mound in favor of senior closer Chris West.

Battlefield second baseman Chris Moylan stayed patient at the plate with the new pitcher, earning a walk on five pitches. Middle pitcher John Williams did the same for the Bobcats, only taking his base after six looks.

Facing a do-or-die situation at the plate, senior Chris Wendle kept the inning alive by taking one for the team as a full-count fastball drilled him in the left shoulderblade, scoring Evans.

But West finally found his groove on the next full count, earning a strike out before giving up an infield dribbler that went for a fielder's choice to second base, ending the Battlefield drive.

"We really changed our energy," said Abel about the seventh inning. "I mean, We should have had that energy from (inning) one but we didn't and that's why we lost."

Burkhart agreed, saying, "I feel like, our approach tonight, we were a little flat and obviously you don't want that showing at this time of the year, but we've just got to dig deep and come out ready to play on Monday because if this happens again, we're done."

He later added, "I don't want to leave it all at the end but there needs to be more intensity (in innings) one through six. And some of these teams you're going to be seeing here in the regions, we don't know (anything) about. When you get down on like to a team, the next thing you know, you're turning in your stuff on Tuesday."